Grew up in a Small Town
by kumikokat
Summary: Songfic about Penny leaving Nebraska to follow her dreams.


_Disclaimer: I do not own the Big Bang Theory, or "Breakaway"_

_This is my very first songfic, so I would love to hear what you think. The song is "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson. _

**Grew up in a small town  
And when the rain would fall down  
I'd just stare out my window**

Penny watched her father and brothers in the fields below her window. Working in the mud, in the rain. Feeding and caring for the animals. They were all muddy but they looked happy. This was all they wanted from life. This was all they _expected_ from life.

**Dreaming of what could be  
And if I'd end up happy**

But Penny wanted more. She had ambition. She would be an actress. She _would_.

**I would pray (I would pray)**

"Mom, please!"

"I won't have my daughter in that place! Full of addicts and murderers. You'll stay right here, where it's safe."

"I don't need your _permission_, anyway! I'm old enough to go. If I want to go, I'm going."

**Trying hard to reach out  
But when I tried to speak out  
Felt like no one could hear me**

"I'm going to be an actress."

"That's nice honey," Aunt Matilda said absently, distracted by the sound of her husband's eating, "Joe, must you eat that turkey so loudly? You're just like one of our pigs."

"And I suppose you're going to take over your father's farm, boy?" Uncle Joe asked Penny's oldest brother, Micheal.

"Yes sir," Micheal beamed. He and Uncle Joe started talking animatedly about livestock and the latest tractors and fertilisers.

Penny sighed.

**Wanted to belong here  
But something felt so wrong here  
So I prayed I could break away**

"So, Penny, are you coming to the cattle auction with us?"

"Sorry, dad, I'd love to but I have an acting class this afternoon."

"When are you going to give up on all that acting nonsense and join us on the farm, where you belong?"

**Wanna feel the warm breeze  
Sleep under a palm tree  
Feel the rush of the ocean  
**She had pictures plastered across her bedroom walls, snipped from magazines and cut from travel books. She liked to stare at them before she fell asleep, and right after she woke up in the morning. Wondering.

**Get onboard a fast train  
Travel on a jet plane, far away (I will)  
And break away**

After a lot of pleading, Penny's mother drove her to the airport. She stood tight-lipped as Penny bought her ticket. They said an awkward goodbye. Penny turned to go.

"Wait!"

And her mother was hugging her, whispering, "I'm sorry, sweetie. Whatever you do, your family will be proud of you. We love you, and if you ever need anything, anything at all, we're here for you."

"Thanks, mom," Penny said, tears in her eyes, "I'm gonna miss you."

And she was still crying, just a little, when she got on the plane. And then she felt a kind of giddy excitement sweep over her. She was on her way! She was going to California…

**Buildings with a hundred floors**

**Swinging around revolving doors  
Maybe I don't know where they'll take me**

Everything was just so big, and bright. The cab glided up to the doors to the apartment building. Penny hopped out, grabbed her small bag, paid the driver and rushed up to the doors. A good-looking guy was standing, waiting for the elevator.

"Hey, you new?"

"Yup."

"I'm Kurt."

"Penny."

**Gotta keep moving on, moving on  
Fly away, breakaway**

They sat in Kurt's apartment, just talking.

"I'm gonna be an actress."

"Wow, that's cool. I'm gonna be a stuntman."

Penny beamed. He understood, took an interest and didn't just talk about irrigation techniques. She was _home_.

**I'll spread my wings  
And I'll learn how to fly**

She didn't know a lot. Had never cooked for herself much before. Hadn't had to look after an apartment, pay rent, pay bills. But she could learn.**  
Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye**

"Yeah, mom. I'm here, and unpacked. Yeah, I miss you too."**  
I gotta take a risk**

**Take a chance**

First audition. A job at the cheesecake factory. All of it, new and delicious.**  
Make a change**

She was without her family. But she had already met Kurt. And the concrete streets and glass buildings weren't like the glass and red brick at home, but it was a new kind of beauty.**  
And breakaway  
Out of the darkness and into the sun**

The weather was always nice here. She wore shorts every day, and she didn't have to worry about mud anymore.**  
But I won't forget the place I come from**

But now instead of pictures of faraway places, she had pictures of home and family.**  
I gotta take a risk**

**Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway. **

"Yeah, mom. I'm happy."


End file.
